Citizen Kitty
by Matt Briddell
Summary: Finished! C5 and C6 are posted, PG for mild profanity. I know this war is almost over, but I feel like this story and its message are still important. SO: Kitty attends a war protest and gives her views on the war after a riot breaks out. Please R+R.
1. Chapter 1

X-claimer: I do not own any of the characters in X-Men Evolution.  
Scott sat behind the wheel of his car in heavy Bayville traffic. Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt were in the car with him. The mood was somber as they listened to the President broadcasting a speech over the radio.  
  
"My fellow Americans, today we have embarked upon a war to rid the world of a fearsome dictator and bring freedom to the oppressed citizens forced to endure his tyrannical reign. We have lived in fear of this regime too long, and we are now taking up our obligation to make the world safer for democracy. There are those in the world who have shirked their duties to peace and freedom, but we will not let their lack of resolve be a distraction to our just cause. A new day is coming, and its rays of light will signal an end to oppression and fear worldwide,"  
  
The speech ended, and the President's voice was replaced by numerous unseen "analysts" describing their views exactly what the speech had meant.  
  
Scott flipped off the radio. "Why do they even pay those people? Anybody can figure out what THAT speech meant," he said.  
  
Kitty slumped in the back seat. "I am SO sick of hearing about this war!" she said.  
  
"I know," said Jean from the front seat. "Seems like every day all you hear about is who we're going to bomb next,"  
  
"He's got a point, though," said Rogue. "Ah mean, this guy's got all sorts of dangerous weapons, doesn't he?"  
  
"But that doesn't mean that he's any kind of threat to anybody," said Kitty. "Why should we bomb people who can't hurt us?"  
  
"And what about the United Nations?" asked Kurt. "Doesn't their opinion count for anything?"  
  
"Apparently not," said Scott. "The President's been saying for months that if the UN isn't willing to accept his responsibilities, he'll send in American troops even if they have to do it alone,"  
  
"I just wish they had gotten this guy back in the first Gulf war," said Rogue. "Then we wouldn't be in this mess,"  
  
"Actually, the Gulf war never really ended," said Kurt  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Kitty  
  
"There was never any formal peace treaty signed back in 1991," Kurt explained. "There was only a cease-fire which was supposed to last while the UN searched for all these chemical weapons,"  
  
"I don't remember hearing anything about that," said Jean. "Of course, I was only 7 at the time,"  
  
"One of the advantages of living in a foreign country," said Kurt. "Our newspapers aren't as biased as yours,"  
  
"Like, I wish we could go over there and use our powers to take care of this mess," Kitty said with a smile. "We'd be home in no time at all!"  
  
That drew a laugh from everybody in the car.  
  
Rogue looked out over the sea of traffic. They had barely moved in the whole time they had been talking. "Gah! What's with this traffic?"  
  
"Hey, look at that!" Kurt said, pointing over the sea of cars.  
  
Ahead, at the courthouse, they could see large crowds of people, holding signs and waving flags. The police had them safely blocked off on the sidewalk so they wouldn't obstruct the flow of traffic.  
  
"Cool! Protesters!" said Kurt.  
  
"Hey, Scott, do you think we can stay and watch for a bit?" asked Kitty.  
  
"Why not? We're not going anywhere in all this anyway," he said. He quickly pulled the car into the opposite lane, ducked down a side street, and found a parking spot. He put a few coins in the meter and they all walked back to the square.  
  
X  
  
The scene at city hall was a hotbed of excitement. There were two distinct groups of people separated by the congested street. One side was waving American flags and holding signs that said "We Support Our Troops" and "God Bless America" The mood on the opposite side of the street was just as jubilant, although the messages they were sending out were very different. Kitty could see a number of signs that read "No Blood for Oil," and "Drop Bush, not Bombs" People on both sides were shouting back and forth at each other.  
  
"Wow! This is so awesome!" said Kitty.  
  
"Hey, maybe we shouldn't stay here too long," said Jean. "I mean, this could get ugly, and we're right in the middle of it,"  
  
"I think you're right," said Scott. "Let's find a safer spot to watch all of this,"  
  
X  
  
As they turned to head to a less vulnerable viewing location, they walked right into a TV news crew. The reporter looked at them excitedly, glad that she had found some people to interview.  
  
"Excuse me," she said. "I'm Tina Sanders, Bayville News. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"  
  
"Well, we were kinda trying to find a better spot to stand," said Scott.  
  
"Sure, we'll answer your questions," said Kitty.  
  
"Great! And what's your name, young lady?" Tina asked.  
  
"Kitty Pryde," Kitty replied. "These are my friends, Scott, Kurt, Rogue, and Jean,"  
  
"Ok, hang on just a second," she said and turned to her cameraman. "Chris, I'm live here at city hall with a group of students that have come to take part in today's demonstrations,"  
  
She turned back to Kitty. "With me now is Kitty Pryde. Kitty, what do you think of all these demonstrations?" she asked.  
  
"Um, they're pretty exciting," said Kitty. "It's cool to see that people care so much about stuff like this,"  
  
"And what are your thoughts about the war our country has entered?" she asked. At this, she walked up all five of the X-Men. She obviously meant to ask all of them.  
  
"What about you, sir? And what's your name?" she asked Scott.  
  
"I'm Scott Summers. I really don't know what to think about this war. I mean, do these people really pose that much of a threat to us?"  
  
Tina moved on to Jean. "Jean Gray," Jean spoke into the mike. "I'm glad to see that people still want to express their opinions even when we are at war,"  
  
"Ah'm Rogue," said Rogue. "I'm glad we're finally going to deal with this guy. We've let him go for too long,"  
  
"Kurt Wagner," Kurt said. Tina moved in a little closer. "You sound like you're from another country, Kurt," she said.  
  
"Ja, I'm from Germany," he said. "And I don't think it's good that the President wants to go to war when so many other countries want him to settle this diplomatically,"  
  
"Thank you, Kurt," said Tina. "And what about you, Kitty? What are your thoughts?"  
  
"I think this war is, like, totally stupid! It's senseless and it's going to get innocent people killed no matter what!" she said. The anti-war crowd behind her gave a passionate cheer in response.  
  
"And another thing," she continued. "Some of these protesters have gotten a really bad rap. People say that now that we're at war, they should, like, go away or something. Like they think that the protesters are just as bad as the people we're fighting. That is so wrong!" she shouted, trying to make herself heard above the throngs of people that had gotten louder.  
  
Kitty turned around to see that the crowds were starting to press up against the police barricades. Their chants were becoming more intense and Kitty could see that people were beginning to get angry.  
  
All of a sudden, a bottle went hurtling through the air and hit Kitty in the forehead. "Ow!" she screamed and clutched at the gash. She felt blood trickling down her fingertips. Nobody could tell which side it came from, but the sky above them instantly became filled with rocks, bottles, and all sorts of debris as the demonstrators began to riot.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Scott shouted as a rock whizzed by his head.  
  
The group turned to run, but at that point the crowds broke through the barricades and the X-Men found themselves trapped in between the crush of people descending on them.  
  
X 


	2. Chapter 2

Kitty was elbowed roughly aside as several people ran past her. She saw the reporter trip and fall. Kitty dashed forward and quickly dragged her out of the path of the oncoming mob. Turning, she saw that she had lost sight of the rest of the mutants.  
  
"Thanks!" said Tina.  
  
"Don't mention it," said Kitty, and turned back toward the chaos.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Tina.  
  
"I've gotta find my friends!" Kitty said, and dashed back through the crowd.  
  
Tina sat in shock, then addressed the camera again. "Chris, as you can see these demonstrations have gotten very ugly. We're going to lay low until things settle down. This is Tina Sanders, Bayville News,"  
  
Just then, a rock came hurtling in and shattered the lens of the camera.  
  
"Let's move!" shouted Tina, and the camera crew retreated to the safety of their news van.  
  
X  
  
Inside the throng, the police were completely overwhelmed. Demonstrators on both sides exchanged blows with each other. In an isolated pocket, Scott and Jean crouched to avoid being trampled. Jean occasionally used her telekinetic powers to deflect incoming pieces of debris. She figured that in the chaos, nobody would notice.  
  
"I can't see Kitty or the others!" Scott shouted above the racket.  
  
"If we don't get out of here soon, we'll be crushed to death!" shouted Jean.  
  
"There, I see an opening!" said Scott. He grabbed Jean by the wrist and they made a beeline for the safety of the sidewalk. They were slammed into several times but they managed to make it out of the crowd.  
  
"What about Kitty?" Jean asked.  
  
"I just hope they made it out of there," Scott said.  
  
X  
  
Kitty found herself caught up in a thick crowd of people. She pushed her way through against the tide of humanity as best she could, but found herself being steadily pushed backward. Looking in between the rows of people, she caught sight of Kurt. "Kurt!" she shouted, but the mutant could not hear him.  
  
"I hope nobody sees this," said Kitty, and phased through the people in front of her. As she tried to get closer to Kurt, she saw something horrible. A man with an anti-war sign was being beaten up by four people. Kitty saw that he could be killed and decided to intervene.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Kitty shouted, running up from behind. She grabbed one of the assailants from behind and tripped him, sending him down to the street. Another one tried to punch her, but she dodged his blow, caught his wrist and used a judo flip to throw him down. The other two men ran off, leaving the man bleeding and bruised.  
  
"C'mon! Let's get out of here!" said Kitty. She grabbed his arm and dragged him safely out of the crowd.  
  
X  
  
On the other side of the mob, Kurt was desperately trying to find Rogue and Kitty, while trying to protect his holo-emitter at the same time. This was one of the situations that scared him the most, potentially having his true form exposed in front of hordes of angry people. He glanced around but could not see any of his friends.  
  
"Kitty? Rogue?" he called frantically, but he saw no sign of his fellow mutants.  
  
"Ach! I've got to get out of here," he said to himself, and tried to get past several people. He was jostled roughly but his holo-emitter held up. Finally, he made it to an opening and saw Rogue. Then he saw a large crowd charging towards her.  
  
"Rogue! Look out!" he cried. Rogue could not hear him above the din.  
  
Instinctively, Kurt teleported next to Rogue. She grabbed hold of him and they disappeared again in a puff of smoke.  
  
Nobody in the mob noticed the disappearing mutants. However, several of the demonstrators mistook the telltale smoke left by Kurt's teleporting for tear gas and quickly began to disperse, afraid of being arrested by the police.  
  
X  
  
Kitty had led the man she had saved over to the steps of city hall, where he sat down slowly. "Are you all right?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be ok," said the man. "What about you, you're bleeding!"  
  
Kitty felt the cut on her forehead. It still stung, and the blood was starting to dry on the side of her face, but she ignored it.  
  
"Don't worry about it, it's nothing," she said. After all, she had suffered far worse in Logan's Danger Room sessions.  
  
"If you say so. Thanks for saving me," the man said.  
  
"Sure thing," said Kitty.  
  
"Hey, you're the girl that the news lady was interviewing, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I am," said Kitty.  
  
"I'm Paul Rubens," he said, extending his hand.  
  
"Kitty Pryde," she said, shaking his hand. "Why were those guys beating you up?"  
  
"I'm one of the people that helped organize all the anti-war group," Paul said. "I guess those guys must have recognized me,"  
  
"But why would they want to hurt you?" asked Kitty.  
  
Paul sighed. "Honestly, I was expecting something like this would happen. War has a way of making people so angry that they lose control of themselves,"  
  
"Yeah, I can see what you mean," said Kitty. She took a look across the street, where the police were beginning to get things under control.  
  
"Hey, it looks like things are breaking up," she said.  
  
"That's good. Hopefully nobody's gotten too hurt in all this," he said.  
  
X  
  
Kitty heard a voice calling her name. Looking up, she saw Scott, Jean, Rogue and Kurt running towards her.  
  
"Kitty, thank god you're all right!" said Jean.  
  
"Yeah, we thought we'd lost you in there," said Rogue.  
  
"I'm ok, really," she said. "Oh, this is Paul. Paul, these are my friends,"  
  
"Nice to meet you," Paul said. "I saw you being interviewed when all the fighting started. I'm glad you were all able to make it out of there in one piece,"  
  
"It looks like the cops have the situation under control," Scott told him. "We should be able to get going once they open the streets back up,"  
  
"Hey, before you go," said Paul. "We're going to put together another demonstration. Think you'd be interested in coming"  
  
"Don't you think you've had enough 'demonstrating' for one day, Kitty?" asked Kurt.  
  
"Don't worry, it won't be like today," Paul assured them. "We're holding a vigil on Saturday night on the steps of the courthouse, and we're going to address the city council to voice our thoughts on this war,"  
  
"Sounds cool!" said Kitty.  
  
"Great! Here's my number," he said. He took a piece of paper and a pen out of his wallet and scribbled his phone number on it. "Give me a call later tonight and I'll give you more details about it," he said, and stood up.  
  
"I think I see some of the people I came here with. I'd better go make sure they're ok. I'll hear from you later!" he said, and walked off towards a group of people across the street.  
  
X  
  
"Man, I'm glad THAT'S over with!" exclaimed Kurt. "I've been in a couple soccer riots before, but they were nothing compared to this!"  
  
"You're not gonna go to that rally he was talkin' about, are ya?" Rogue asked her.  
  
"Actually, I think I might," said Kitty.  
  
"Kitty, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," said Jean. "What if another riot breaks out? You could get hurt!"  
  
"I know, Jean, but, like, this is something important to me. My dad fought in Vietnam and he told me all kinds of horror stories about what happens in war. I want to tell people about that, you know?"  
  
Jean sighed. "Ok, Kitty. You'll probably have to talk to the Professor about it, but I imagine he'll say yes as long as some of us are there in case trouble breaks out,"  
  
"That's great!" said Kitty. She made a note to call Paul as soon as she got home.  
  
Soon, the police had the streets cleared, and the mutants made their way back to Scott's car. Fortunately, it was not damaged. They climbed in and made their way back to the Institute, hoping they could get home in time to catch the coverage of the day's events on the evening news.  
  
X 


	3. Chapter 3

The mutants managed to arrive home from the demonstration without any further incidents. As they pulled up to the garage of the Institute they saw Storm and Professor Xavier waiting for them  
  
"Are you all alright?" asked Storm as they got out.  
  
"We saw what happened on the news," said Xavier.  
  
"We're ok, Professor. Just a few little scrapes here and there," said Scott.  
  
"Did you see the news people interview us?" asked Jean.  
  
"Yes, we did," said Storm. "And we're proud of you for speaking your minds,"  
  
"It's unfortunate that things broke down when they did," said Xavier. "I think you were touching on some good points that aren't really being discussed right now,"  
  
"Well, now that you mention it," said Kitty. "I met one of the anti-war people during all the demonstrations, and he wanted me to come speak at another rally they're putting together in a few days,"  
  
"Kitty, we're glad you're taking the time to get involved in this," said Storm. "But aren't you worried that another riot could break out?"  
  
"Well, yeah, a little," said Kitty. "But this is something that's important to me, and I'm willing to take the risk,"  
  
"All right, Kitty," said Xavier. "We'll do our best to support you,"  
  
"Thank you, Professor," said Kitty, and they went inside to watch the news.  
  
X  
  
The mutants gathered in the den and turned on the TV. They ignored the cable news networks and instead turned on their local channel, hoping to see some footage of the riots. Their search paid off as they saw the face of the woman who had interviewed them earlier  
  
"This is Tina Sanders reporting live again from city hall, where earlier today demonstrations both for and against the war turned violent. Police arrested several demonstrators on both sides but luckily there are no serious injuries to report. This reporter was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview and later be rescued by Bayville High student Kitty Pryde. Kitty, if you're watching tonight, thank you. You are a hero and a genuine patriot. This is Tina Sanders, Bayville News,"  
  
Kitty blushed a little as the den erupted into loud applause. Then she turned back to the TV as the news anchor continued the broadcast.  
  
"Thank you, Tina. We here at Bayville News want to affirm our dedication to providing fair and unbiased coverage of events during these unsettling times. That's why I'm proud to announce that Bayville News will be sponsoring a town hall meeting this Friday evening at city hall. We've invited representatives from the Bayville Patriots as well as Bayville United for Peace to debate their views, and we'll be providing live coverage of the event,"  
  
"Hey, that's Paul's group!" said Kitty. "They're gonna be on TV!"  
  
"Do you think he'd ask you to speak in the debate?" asked Scott.  
  
"Maybe," said Kitty. "Hey, that reminds me, I should go call him," She jumped off the couch and ran up to her room.  
  
X  
  
The rest of the mutants continued to watch the news, drifting between one news broadcast of the war and the next. After a little while, it seemed like the broadcasts seemed to blur together into one continuous event.  
  
"I think I've seen enough," said Jean. "This is getting too depressing," She stood up and walked upstairs to her room.  
  
"Seriously," said Kurt. "If I get any bluer from watching all this, I'll turn purple," He stood up and headed for the kitchen.  
  
Just then, the TV cut to a commercial for a new anti-depression drug. Scott turned the TV off and stood up to leave.  
  
"Hey, wait a sec," said Rogue. "Ah wanna ask you somethin'"  
  
"Sure Rogue, what's up?" asked Scott, sitting back down.  
  
"Ah was wonderin' about what you said to that newslady," she said. "Why don't you think that dictator guy's a threat?"  
  
Scott paused. "Well, I wasn't expecting her to ask me for my opinion. She caught me off guard, and I kinda said the first thing that popped into my head,"  
  
"Ok. So what do you really think about this war?" she asked him.  
  
"Great, another pop quiz," said Scott. "You know, that's one thing I do have a problem with. War isn't something that can simply be rationalized with a few sound bites. That's why I can't stand most of these news commentators on TV. Seems like they think that they can make perfect sense of this war in a few seconds and then move on to something else, when it's a whole lot more complex than that and needs to be treated as such,"  
  
"Yeah, ah see what you mean," said Rogue. "All those people are just sayin' the same thing over and over. Seems like these news networks need to make a news story out of somethin' that's not there,  
  
"Good point," said Scott.  
  
"Here's what I think about the war, though," he continued. "I understand why the President is doing what he's doing, because he's convinced that this dictator poses a genuine threat to our country's security. What that threat is, I can't really see, though. I mean, haven't we been bombing these people for the last 10 years or so?"  
  
"Yeah, but what about all these chemical weapons he's supposed to have?" countered Rogue.  
  
"Well, that's the thing. They've never been able to conclusively prove that he actually DOES have them," said Scott. "And what really got me going was when I heard the secretary of defense say a few months ago that the fact that the weapons inspectors couldn't find anything meant that the dictator DID have weapons and was hiding them someplace. What kind of backwards logic is that?"  
  
"Ah see your point," said Rogue. "That is kinda shady. But what if he really does have them and tries to use them?"  
  
Scott sighed heavily. "I dunno. I guess I've been thinking more about what Kurt said, about how the President is really alienating a lot of other countries by doing this. I know we need to be safe, but is it really worth getting so many other countries mad at us? I don't think it is,"  
  
"Wow," said Rogue, shrugging her shoulders. "This really is a lot to sort through, isn't it?"  
  
"I know," said Scott. "I hope Kitty can make better sense of all this than we did,"  
  
"Right now, ah'll just be glad when all this is over and things can get back to normal," Rogue sighed.  
  
X  
  
Upstairs, Kitty was talking with Paul on the phone.  
  
"Yeah, I just saw it on the news!" she said. "Are you really gonna debate those guys?"  
  
"That's the idea," said Paul on the other end. "I'm glad this is going to be televised. It'll give us a lot of good coverage. I've even heard that one or two of the national networks could be covering this,"  
  
"Wow!" Kitty said. "That means people in Washington will see this,"  
  
"And the rest of the country too," Paul's voice turned serious. "I just hope we can find a good speaker in time. Graham Henderson's going to be representing the Patriots, and he's pretty tough. He's very much against us, and I think he'd be glad to see us all get deported or something like that,"  
  
"That's sick!" said Kitty.  
  
"I know, that's why I'm getting the best speaker I know for this," said Paul.  
  
"Who do you have in mind?"  
  
"You,"  
  
Kitty nearly dropped the phone in shock. "What?" she asked, completely taken by surprise. "Are you serious?"  
  
"I know, it's sudden," Paul said. "But I got to see what you said on the news tonight, and I was very impressed with the points you were making,"  
  
"But, I can't speak in front of an audience that big!" she protested. "I, like, barely passed Public Speaking! If I got up there in front of the cameras, I'd, like, totally crash and burn!" she said, breaking into her typical valley-girl speak that tended to emerge whenever she was nervous or flustered, as was the case now.  
  
"Kitty, I understand. I wasn't the best speaker when I was growing up, but I learned to overcome that. I can help you if you'll let me,"  
  
"I really don't know," said Kitty. "I mean, I want to help you, but I'm afraid I'll break down and embarrass you on national TV,"  
  
"I know it can be tough to speak to a big audience," Paul said, trying to console her. "It's a fear that a lot of people struggle to conquer. But I promise I'll do the best I can to help you,"  
  
"Alright," said Kitty uncertainly.  
  
"Thank you, Kitty. I'll try and meet you tomorrow to start coaching you. In the meantime, you'd better get started preparing your speech. I'll see you tomorrow," Paul said, and hung up.  
  
Kitty slumped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, nervously wondering what she had just gotten herself into.  
  
X 


	4. Chapter 4

During the next few days, Kitty alternated most of her free time between watching coverage of the war on TV, listening to call-in radio shows, and reading numerous newspaper articles. During this time, she discovered a lot of very interesting and disturbing information, which she incorporated into the growing body of her speech.  
  
Late Tuesday afternoon, Kitty sat in her social studies class, gazing anxiously up at the clock. She was nervous about meeting with Paul for the first time since the riot. He had impressed upon her the need to have her material fully prepared, and she had spent much time over the days developing the speech she was planning to give. She was confident in what she had prepared, but she wasn't quite sure she'd be able to turn herself into a professional speaker by the end of the week.  
  
Finally, the bell rang, and Kitty hurried out the door of the classroom and walked outside of the school. She saw Paul waiting for her in the parking lot, standing next to a bike.  
  
"Hi!" he greeted her.  
  
"Hey Paul!" Kitty replied, trying not to let the anxiousness in her voice show. It didn't quite work.  
  
"Not nervous, are you?" he asked.  
  
"Well, a little. It's the first time I've read this speech to somebody else," Kitty said, pulling a folder out of her backpack.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it," said Paul. "We've still got plenty of time to get you ready. Why don't we go into the library, I'll take a listen, and we'll go from there?"  
  
"Sounds good," said Kitty, and they walked back into the school. Inside the library, Paul sat down on a chair as Kitty pulled out her speech. She cleared her throat, and began to speak as Paul listened raptly.  
  
X  
  
About 10 minutes later, Kitty concluded her speech. "So like, what did you think?" she asked.  
  
Paul leaned forward. "You made some excellent points, Kitty. I really liked the bit where you talk about how this war agenda has been in development for many years. But there's a problem that's really holding you back right now,"  
  
"What's that?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Well, I don't mean any offense by this," Paul cautioned. "But there are times when you tend to sound like, well, like a valley girl,"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I know!" she groaned. "It seems like that always happens when I get nervous or excited. It just slips out, ya know what I mean? Argh, there it goes again!" she said angrily.  
  
"Kitty, relax," said Paul. "What you're experiencing is perfectly normal anxiety that's manifesting itself in your inflections,"  
  
"My what?" asked Kitty, sounding confused.  
  
"The way you talk, the kind of mannerisms you use, that sort of thing," said Paul.  
  
"So how can I stop feeling so excited all the time?" asked Kitty.  
  
"I noticed during your speech that your pace sped up a lot when you got excited, and that your breathing got really shallow," said Paul. "I'm going to show you how to correct that,"  
  
"So you mean I won't sound like such a ditz all the time?" asked Kitty.  
  
"You said it, not me," Paul said. Kitty gave him a grin in return.  
  
X  
  
"So what do I have to do?" she asked.  
  
"Speaking is a lot like playing a musical instrument," Paul said. "You need a great deal of air to do both. When you use the right amount and the right kind of air, you'll find that most of your speaking problems will correct themselves,"  
  
"That's kinda strange," said Kitty. "I always thought air was just air,"  
  
"Well it is," said Paul. "It's all a matter of how you use it. Now, can you sing?"  
  
"Yeah, a little,"  
  
"Ok, I want you to relax and take a deep breath and then a middle C for me,"  
  
Kitty did so. The note came out sounding thin and faint.  
  
"Aha. I thought so," Paul said as he watched her. "You're not breathing right,"  
  
Kitty gave him a funny look.  
  
"When you took that breath, did you notice how your shoulders lifted up to your ears?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"That's the problem. You're not taking in as much air as you're capable of, because you're only breathing from the top part of your lungs. Watch this," he said, and took a deep breath. As he did so, his shoulders stayed flat and level while his whole belly expanded and pushed out until he looked like he was a few months pregnant. Kitty laughed a little at the sight.  
  
"I know it looks a little silly, but this is the right way to breathe," Paul said. He walked around behind Kitty and placed his hands on your shoulders. "Try it again, and this time, keep your shoulders relaxed and fill your lungs from the bottom up,"  
  
Kitty breathed in, feeling the odd sensation of her belly push outwards, and sang. She was immediately taken aback by how much louder her voice seemed.  
  
"That's it," said Paul encouragingly. "You've just discovered the first secret to becoming a better speaker,"  
  
X  
  
Over the next half hour, Paul taught Kitty several kinds of breathing exercises she could do to improve her projection and volume. Then he taught her some good pacing techniques to control her rhythm and tempo while she was speaking and gave her some mental suggestions to help her stay focused during her speech. At the end of this, Kitty read her speech again. Not only did she sound cleaner, crisper, and louder, she also managed to finish in a shorter period of time without changing a single word.  
  
"Wow!" she said when she got done. "I sounded like a totally different person!"  
  
"You're going to do just fine this weekend, Kitty," Paul said. "Now, why don't we look at some of your specific points and see if we can make some things a little tighter,"  
  
They spent the next hour making revisions to the speech. By the time they were finished, they were sure that Kitty would be able to convince the public audience just how bad the war really was.  
  
X  
  
Kitty bid farewell to Paul outside the school and caught a bus that would take her close enough to the Institute that she could walk the rest of the way back. On the way, she overheard a few passengers talking about the war. Their comments mostly reflected a common desire to see the war brought to a quick end and bring down the dictator's regime. Kitty moved closer and interrupted at a pause in the conversation.  
  
"Excuse me," she said. "I couldn't help overhearing you talking about the war,"  
  
One of the passengers looked at her. "Oh, yeah. I was just trying to convince this guy that this war isn't worth the risks, but he really isn't listening to me,"  
  
"And why should I?" asked the other passenger gruffly. "What's the point in waiting around for them to attack us when we can get rid of them and be done with it?"  
  
"Because that's not the way America's supposed to do things!" protested the first passenger.  
  
"I got news for you, buddy. This is a new America. Get used to it," retorted the second.  
  
"Why do you think this is a new America?" Kitty asked him.  
  
"Face it, kid, the America we all knew died on September 11th. If seeing those towers come crashing down didn't tell you just how much some people in the world have it in for us, nothing will," he said, and stood up and moved to another seat.  
  
The first passenger gave an exasperated sight. "Hearing stuff like that makes me sick," he said. "People like him can't see how they've gotten so many other people around the world angry with us for everything they're trying to do. They're so blind that they can't see that their policies are creating the very threats they're supposed to be preventing!"  
  
Kitty said nothing, considering the man's point. "Hmm, maybe I can work that into my speech," she said.  
  
"You're givin' a speech, huh?" the man asked, looking at her. His eyes grew in recognition. "Hey, you're that Pryde girl they had on the news a few days ago, aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me," said Kitty.  
  
"Well, good luck to you. Believe me, you're gonna need it. I know this Henderson guy that the Bayville Patriots have speaking for them. He makes our friend over their look like Mahatma Gandhi in comparison,"  
  
"Is he really that bad?" Kitty asked nervously.  
  
"You're gonna have your hands full with him, that's for sure," the man said. "Especially if he starts coming after you. I don't think I've ever seen anybody get the better of this guy in a debate. But hey, I don't mean to scare you. I'm sure you'll do just fine,"  
  
Kitty swallowed hard, the familiar feelings of self-doubt beginning to return. "I hope so too. I think there's a lot counting on this," she said.  
  
"You got that right," the man replied. "Believe me, this war we're in now is just the beginning. If somebody doesn't stop it now, it may never end,"  
  
Kitty felt the bus slow as it pulled up to a corner. 'Um, this is my stop. Thanks for your advice," she said.  
  
"Sure thing," the man said.  
  
Kitty got off the bus and stood by herself outside the gate of the Institute, suddenly feeling very small and very powerless.  
  
X 


	5. Chapter 5

Many things had happened over the last few days. The American military had managed to enter the enemy capital, effectively toppling the regime of the enemy dictator. Many people in the news were saying that this war would soon be over and that people would be able to get back to normal shortly. Meanwhile, the coverage of the peace movement dwindled to practically nothing as reports from embedded journalists from the front lines dominated the airwaves. Kitty was uncertain about the need for her to give her speech, as it seemed with each passing day she had less and less to talk about. Paul had managed to convince her that there was still much to say, but that she'd just have to take a different approach.  
  
Now it was the morning of the debate. Kitty was pacing around her room, completely focused on her speech. She was going over all of the details in her head, making sure to remember all of the things that Paul had told her about staying calm and relaxed. She was so focused that she didn't notice herself phasing through the wall of her room as she paced. She didn't even look up when she phased through the wall of the bathroom just as Kurt was stepping out of the shower.  
  
"Ah! Kitty! What are you doing in here?" Kurt shouted and dived back into the shower before Kitty saw him undressed.  
  
Amidst all the steam, Kitty suddenly realized where she was. "Oops! Sorry!" she said embarrassed. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything!" she called back as she phased back into her room. "Geez, I have got to stay focused," she muttered, and finished up preparing her speech.  
  
X  
  
That evening, Kitty stood backstage with Paul. Professor Xavier and the X- Men had come to support her and were sitting out in the audience. Rogue was sitting with them, although she couldn't help feeling like she would be more at home sitting with the people who supported the war. City hall was packed to capacity and there were several news crews covering the proceedings. The audience was clearly divided, with Henderson's supporters occupying most of the seats on the right side of the room and the peace supporters holding the left side.  
  
"Are you ready for this?" Paul asked Kitty.  
  
"Yeah," said Kitty. "I've been waiting for this all week,"  
  
"Good," said Paul. "I just hope Henderson doesn't get too personal,"  
  
"I'm not gonna worry about what he says," said Kitty. "I know I don't have to defend myself against him,"  
  
"That's the spirit!" said Paul. "You're gonna do great! I know it!"  
  
Kitty smiled and waited for the proceedings to begin.  
  
Onstage, the lights came up as Tina Sanders stepped up to the speaker's podium.  
  
"Good evening," she said. "Bayville News is proud to present tonight's public debate. I'm Tina Sanders and I'll be moderating tonight's events. Now, I'd like to introduce our two speakers tonight. First, representing the Bayville Patriots, please welcome Mr. Gordon Henderson,"  
  
Kitty heard footsteps behind her, and turned around to see a very tall, very strong-looking man . "Excuse me, little girl," he said, and walked past her. He glared at Paul for a second and then moved on.  
  
"Was that him?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Yeah, that was him," grumbled Paul. "Mr. Goliath himself,"  
  
Henderson walked out from behind the curtain and took his position on stage as the right side of the audience began to applaud. Kurt gasped at Henderson's sheer size. "That guy's a giant!" he said.  
  
"I'm glad he's not a mutant," said Scott. "That guy makes Juggernaut look like a midget!"  
  
"And now," Tina continued. "Please welcome, representing Bayville United for Peace, Miss Kitty Pryde!"  
  
"Well, you're up. Good luck!" said Paul, and walked off the stage and out into the audience, where he took a seat with the X-Men. Kitty took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage.  
  
Now it was the left side of the audience's turn to applaud. The X-Men all stood up, except for Xavier, and gave her a loud ovation.  
  
"Yay! Go Kitty!" shouted Kurt, as Jean put her fingers between her lips and gave a loud whistle.  
  
Kitty smiled when she saw her friends in the audience and gave them a quick wave. She also saw a few people on the right side of the audience with confused looks on their faces as if they were baffled by her presence and involvement in such a major debate.  
  
The crowd settled down as Tina began to speak. "I'll quickly explain the format of tonight's proceedings," she said. "Each representative will have 20 minutes to give a speech and then we will move on to take questions from the audience. Mr. Henderson, you may speak first,"  
  
Henderson stepped up to the podium to a large round of cheering from his supporters. He cleared his throat as the applause died down and began to speak.  
  
"Good evening," he said. "I shall be brief. Frankly, I don't think I have to explain why I'm up here. We've all heard the arguments go back and forth over whether this war was justified, we've heard the baseless accusations leveled against us that our president has embarked on a war of conquest. I don't need to defend our position because as we've seen over the last few weeks, we have been proven right again and again!"  
  
Henderson's supporters erupted in applause at this point.  
  
"Why doesn't he just gloat some more?" Scott muttered.  
  
"He's got a point," said Rogue. "Ah mean, they didn't really put up much of a fight. We proved that we didn't have anything to worry about when we went in there, didn't we?"  
  
Xavier heard this and turned to Rogue. "Rogue, perhaps you should consider whether victory is really a justification for the what our government has done?"  
  
"Ah dunno. Maybe," she replied, not really convinced of the point Xavier had tried to make.  
  
On stage, Henderson continued his speech.  
  
"Now I ask, what is there left to debate? This war is over, for all intents and purposes. We have won, thanks to our dedicated military and the foresight of our leaders. And make no mistake. This is just the beginning. We are going to make the Middle East and the whole world safe and secure, because it is our obligation to ensure that all citizens of the world can live in peace and freedom!"  
  
There was more wild applause at this. Henderson quickly motioned for silence so he could continue.  
  
"But sadly, there are still many people who cannot see the good in what we are doing, both in our country and around the world. We have constantly had to explain ourselves and defend our beliefs from people who are committed to standing in our way and in the way of progress. We have seen other nations stymie our efforts and try to appease this insane dictator and in the process make it possible for him to spread fear and terror to his neighbors and the world with his weapons of mass destruction. And yet now, when the war has been won and the time for rebuilding has arrived, these same countries that were so adamantly opposed to us liberating this society are now trying to make sure we cannot rebuild it and create a stable foundation. They would rather protect their own interests then protect the people who have been living under a regime of fear for decades. But our interest is not in oil, or empire. Our interest is ensuring these people's dreams of having a stable, secure, and peaceful government, and we will not let anybody stop us from making their dreams a reality,"  
  
Henderson was on a roll by this point. He had his own supporters eating out of his hand and he was even beginning to win over some of the peace supporters with his words.  
  
"That leaves just one more issue to be addressed," he said. "I'm going to address my next comments to the people in our own country who have protested what we are trying to do, who have stood against us, who have clamored that we should preserve peace at all costs, the people who have had the audacity to compare our president to murderous tyrants like Hitler and Stalin. I say, 'Shame on you' for what you have done!"  
  
Kitty gasped at this, and the left side of the audience began to grow uneasy. Henderson ignored them and continued.  
  
"Before this war started, we saw a great deal of people protesting in the streets all around the world. Those protests had their proper function at the time. But when our President said that we were at war, the protesters should have recognized that they had lost, and that they had nothing left to protest about. They should have joined us in supporting our soldiers and supporting our President. But what have we seen instead? Not only have these protests continued, they have lost all semblance of being peaceful! We saw last week just how much some of these people really care about peace!" he said scornfully.  
  
In the audience, Paul bristled. "That's not true!" he said to Xavier. "We didn't start that riot!"  
  
Henderson continued. "Now don't get me wrong," he said. "I support the first amendment as much as the next man, but the time for dissent is over, and frankly, the actions of some of these demonstrators are just as bad as the terrorists that attacked our country two years ago!" Henderson's face began to turn red as his voice went up in pitch. "These people deserve every bit of scorn they're asking for!" he suddenly shouted, and his eyes found Paul in the audience and zeroed in on him. "You have been an embarrassment to our society with your words and your actions. You claim to be on the side of peace and human rights, yet you contradict yourselves with everything you say and do. How can you claim to be for peace when you turn peaceful protests into violent riots? How can you claim to be for human rights when you purposefully ignore the genocide that has been going on in that country for years? I say you people need to get in line right now and start supporting us if you want to retain any kind of credibility! Our President said it best: if you're not with us, you're against us! Now is your time to choose! You all saw that statue come toppling down; you saw that regime fall apart. We have been proven right, and you who have supported the peace movement and compared our president to murderous tyrants have a lot of explaining to do!"  
  
Kitty recoiled from the podium in horror at hearing this. She wanted to run back behind the curtain, get out of the building, get as far away from this man as she possibly could.  
  
The audience erupted in shock. The peace members were united in their boos of displeasure, but Henderson's supporters were not quite as vocal. Many of them did continue to cheer, but there were some of them who appeared to be confused and taken aback by what their spokesman was saying.  
  
"Can you believe this guy?" asked Jean over the roar.  
  
"Vhat's he trying to do, start another riot?" asked Kurt.  
  
"Still convinced this guy's all right?" Scott asked Rogue.  
  
Rogue shook her head uncertainly. She had agreed with Henderson's comments about needing to protect American security, but the things he was saying now made no sense to her at all. "Maybe you're right, Professor. Maybe this war isn't so good after all if this is what winning it is going to do to people,"  
  
Meanwhile, Paul was furious. "That bastard!" he shouted. "How the hell can he stand up there and say those things?"  
  
"Hey, calm down!" Jean said, trying to keep Paul from jumping out of his seat.  
  
Paul groaned and clutched his hands to the sides of his head. "What was I thinking?" he asked. He turned to Xavier. "Look, Mr. Xavier, I'm sorry I asked Kitty to get involved in all of this. I didn't realize this guy would be so vicious!"  
  
"I understand, Mr. Rubens," said Xavier. "But I've known Kitty long enough to know that she is capable of amazing resiliency. I think she may manage to impress you and this audience yet,"  
  
On stage, Henderson took a deep breath, perhaps realizing the impact of his last speech. He turned to Kitty. "Now Miss Pryde, I hope I haven't frightened you with my words," he said calmly, his face a strange parody of what it had been just a moment ago. "I certainly didn't mean to make it sound like I was attacking you personally with what I was saying. But you need to realize exactly what kind of world we live in today, and you need to realize how misguided some of the people you're supporting are. I'm sorry that your friend Paul Rubens can't see just how dangerous our world has become or our need to ensure our own safety,"  
  
With that, he stepped away from the podium and sat down in one of the chairs near the curtain, leaving Kitty alone.  
  
X  
  
Kitty felt nervous and very small as she stared out into the audience and the bright lights. As she looked down at her notes, she realized that there was no way she'd be able to defend her positions from the accusations that Henderson had levied. She looked up as she realized that everybody was waiting for what she had to say. She took a relaxing breath and began to speak.  
  
X 


	6. Chapter 6

"Good evening," Kitty said. "First of all, I'd like to assure you, Mr. Henderson, that I took none of your statements personally, and that I realize your concern for the people I'm here on behalf of tonight. I had prepared a speech tonight, but frankly I don't see how I can really give it based on what I've seen and heard over the last few days,"  
  
In the audience, Paul looked at her, confused. "What is she doing?" he wondered.  
  
"Mr. Henderson was right about thing. For the last several weeks, it seems like people in the news and our government have been saying the same things about war over and over again. They've presented this war to the public in such simple and absolute means because they don't want the public to have to worry about what's going on. Even the reports that we've seen of people being killed don't really tell us what things are really like over there. They just tell us meaningless numbers. What people need to realize is that war is about much more than people fighting each other for resources or because of differing philosophies. To me, war represents a fundamental failure in human relations and communications. When countries send their citizens to fight and kill each other, it means that they have lost the capacity to live with each other despite their differences. When countries use force to resolve their disputes instead of diplomacy, the outcome of events on the battlefield becomes irrelevant in the grand scheme, because both sides ultimately lose. It saddens me that our own government has lost the patience for resolving its disputes through peaceful measures, and that our President would rather settle for the easy and convenient way of handling this crisis than have the dedication to pursue a diplomatic solution that can be equitable for both sides. Frankly I don't know if I can continue to trust our government when it has been so willing to resort to violence and war to achieve its goals,"  
  
There was much applause from the left side of the audience, and some boos from the right.  
  
"We've been told all along how much of a threat this man is to our security. We've been told that this dictator has weapons of mass destruction and is planning to use them against us and against his neighbors. And yet what has happened in the three weeks since this war began? When our forces invaded his country, his own armies surrendered to us rather than fight. And how many chemical attacks have our troops suffered? None. All this is making me wonder just how dangerous this country was in the first place. Which leads me to ask, why have we been told to be so afraid of them in the first place?"  
  
Xavier nodded at this, and Paul smiled. "Boy, she can sure think on her feet, can't she?" asked Paul.  
  
"You'd better believe it," Scott told him.  
  
"I remember seeing a press conference where our Secretary of Defense was asked what evidence he had that this dictator did have weapons of mass destruction," Kitty said. "You know what he said? He said that the inspectors hadn't found any evidence that they had any weapons, but then he said that this meant that they DID have weapons and were just hiding them! Now what sort of logic is that?" she asked rhetorically. The crowd gave her a mixed reaction of applause, boos, and laughter.  
  
"Now I'll admit," she continued. "I can be a little gullible at times, but when somebody tells me that they can prove something exists on the basis that they haven't found any evidence that it doesn't exist, that's too much for me to believe!" She laughed a little herself at this point, and then continued.  
  
"Mr. Henderson has said that there is little point in me being up here and speaking to you tonight, but I think he is wrong. I think that we still have much to discuss about this war and what it is doing to our own society," Kitty went on. "Take a look at the attitudes that have developed in our leaders over the last few months. Every time you hear them speak about other countries and fighting terrorism, they always seem to be taking an attitude of 'us versus them' and that the opinions of countries that don't agree with what we're doing don't matter. That's not just wrong. That's just plain arrogant! How can that kind of attitude be conducive to creating peace? How can we create peace if our President constantly tells other countries that their concerns are irrelevant compared to ours, or that 'if they're not with us, they're against us'? How can we make friends around the world if our government is alienating people through its policies? How can we convince potential terrorists that we're not their enemy when all of the rhetoric coming out of Washington is saying that we are? Mr. Henderson talked about all of these policies we have that are supposed to make the world a better place and get rid of threats, but it seems to me like they are just creating the very threats they're supposed to be getting rid of,"  
  
The crowd hesitated, a little unsure how to react to this. Kitty was asking them to think about something they had not heard much of lately.  
  
"And it's not just our leaders who are being arrogant with this kind of attitude. It's spreading throughout our entire society. Every time I hear people talk about foreign countries these days, they always talk about them like they're inferior. One of my best friends is from Germany, and for weeks, every day he's gone to school he's heard people say that his country is weak and his people are cowards and traitors for not siding with our government. Is it really such a good thing to be alienating these countries when we need their help to support us?"  
  
The left side of the crowd again gave her a good ovation, and Kitty heard several hearty cries of "No!" mixed in with the applause.  
  
"I know what I'm saying may sound a little unusual," Kitty said, picking up on the audience's earlier hesitation. "But I think it's important to talk about these things so we don't get swamped by this wave of one-sided thinking that people like Mr. Henderson want us to follow. I think that it is at times like this that dissent is even more important than ever. If we don't like what our government is doing, we owe it to ourselves to stand up and say, 'No, we don't want you doing these things in our name!'"  
  
"Mr. Henderson talked about how the people protesting this war have been an embarrassment. I don't know who started that riot at the protest last week, and I can't condone the violence that resulted, but I do understand why things got out of control the way they did. These people are angry and they feel like they're being ignored. And when people get angry and want to be heard, they sometimes get violent. So don't act all surprised and confused, Mr. Henderson, and tell us you can't understand why people are getting so angry. They're angry that you're not paying any attention to them!" She turned backwards at this point so she could look at Henderson while she was addressing him. Henderson sat in silence, not displaying a trace of emotion.  
  
Kitty felt a little flustered at the man's lack of a reaction. Everybody else she knew would have tried to say something in their defense. She decided to try a different tactic and turned back to the audience.  
  
"I know Mr. Henderson would like us to all support our troops and our President for the sake of presenting a unified society, but how can we pretend that we all approve of what we're doing when some of us clearly don't?"  
  
There was more applause from the left, while some of the people on the right grew restless. Suddenly, a man on the right stood up and shouted, "How can you say you don't support our troops?"  
  
The people on the right applauded the man as he sat down. "Sir, please sit down," said Tina, chiding the man for his outburst. "You'll have time to express your concerns later," "I'm sorry Kitty," she said. "Please, continue,"  
  
"Sir, I do support our troops. I have a great deal of respect for anybody who would risk their life to defend our country. In this case, I just don't see what they're being asked to defend. Now make no mistake, I support our troops, but I don't support this war! And I see it as my duty to speak out for the soldiers who have no voice, because they don't have the same liberties I do of questioning the nature of their orders or the motives of the people that are giving them!"  
  
This was met with applause from the left. Kitty also noticed a few older people in military uniforms on the right side were also clapping, acknowledging the respect she had shown them.  
  
"I know I'm almost out of time, so I'll try and make my conclusion brief. I've heard a lot of different views on the events of this war over the last several days, and I've heard some things that have been painful to hear. But nothing I have heard has hurt me so much as hearing Mr. Henderson say that in his eyes, the people that are protesting this war are on the same level with the terrorists that attacked our country two years ago! To me, that is the most deliberate misuse of reasoning I have ever heard in my life!" She again turned to Henderson and saw his lip curl a little in disgust as the audience erupted in more cheering.  
  
"Listen at her go!" said Kurt excitedly as Kitty build momentum.  
  
Xavier looked at Paul and smiled knowingly as Paul watched in admiration while Kitty delivered her speech.  
  
Kitty continued. "Mr. Henderson seems to be forgetting how unique our country is, and how it was founded, essentially, by protesters. Don't forget that the American Revolution sprung from people protesting actions of their government that they didn't like. If it weren't for men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, we might all still be ruled by an king and queen right now! So if Mr. Henderson wants to claim that men that built our country are no better than people who strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves to pieces in restaurants, or hijack airplanes and crash them into buildings, then he's just crazy!"  
  
As soon as she finished, applause began to fill the building from both sides of the audience. Kitty turned to see Henderson's face turn beet red, his lips spread in a fierce scowl.  
  
"How dare you!" he hissed, and stood up and began to walk towards her intently.  
  
As he approached Kitty, Henderson felt somebody seize his arm in an iron grip. He turned around to see Logan holding onto his arm tightly.  
  
"Don't even think about it, bub," Logan said.  
  
Henderson looked down at Logan, and then caught sight of the police officers that were making their way up to the stage to escort him away. He scowled again, and then jerked his arm away from Logan. "Don't bother," he said to the officers. "I can find the exit by myself," With that, he took one last look at Kitty, shook his head in disgust, and left the stage and walked towards the exit.  
  
"You alright, half-pint?" Logan asked Kitty.  
  
"Yeah," she said. "What were you doing backstage?"  
  
"I didn't think it would be too good to leave ol' Redwood there unattended," he responded.  
  
Tina stepped up to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, since Mr. Henderson has left us, I declare Kitty Pryde to be the winner of this debate!"  
  
The audience jumped to their feet in exuberance. While some people on the right side had followed Henderson out of the building, many had remained and were applauding just as vehemently. The X-Men and Paul ran up to the stage to celebrate with Kitty.  
  
"You were fantastic!" said Kurt.  
  
"Great job, Kitty!" said Jean.  
  
"Thanks, you guys!" Kitty replied, and then saw Rogue walk up to her. Surprisingly, the mutant extended her gloved hand.  
  
"Thanks," Rogue said. "I thought I knew what all was goin' on with this war, but you made me stop and think some things over. I guess that's somethin' me and a lot of these people haven't been doing much of lately,"  
  
"Sure thing," said Kitty, and shook her hand.  
  
Paul was the next to congratulate Kitty. "Kitty, thank you so much! I can't tell you what this means to me!" he said.  
  
Kitty shook Paul's hand, and then gave him a hug. "Thank you for helping me see a different side to this war than everybody has been showing me. And for teaching me how to speak normally," she said with a laugh. "So what are you gonna do after this?"  
  
"I was thinking about taking some people up to the state capital next week and addressing the legislature. Think you'd wanna come along?"  
  
"Sure!" said Kitty.  
  
"Great!" he said, then pointed over her shoulder and grinned. "Hey, don't look now, but I think somebody wants to interview you again,"  
  
"Kitty, can we get a word from you?" How do you feel about winning this debate?" came a mass of voices from behind her.  
  
Kitty turned around at the commotion to see a mob of news reporters and cameras rushing towards her, including Tina. She smiled and walked off to meet the press.  
  
X  
  
Kitty didn't realize it, but her speech had been seen and heard in many more homes across the country than anybody thought it would. In his study, Principal Kelly had been listening to the debate, and made a note to call Kitty down to his office the next day to congratulate her for speaking so well. People in San Fransisco, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, and countless other towns and cities had seen Kitty's speech and were preparing to discuss it at work the next day. Back in Bayville, even the Brotherhood had tuned in to watch, and Lance was now the target for his fellow mutants' catcalls about how his girlfriend was going to run for president someday and how he would have to be the first lady. And in a certain white house in Washington DC, a man turned off his television and sat in thoughtful contemplation of what he had just seen.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as an aide walked into his office. "Mr. President, it's almost time for the Defense briefing," the man said.  
  
"Reschedule it. I've got something on my mind right now," said the President.  
  
"Sir, this is very important," the aide replied. "They're meeting to discuss the next phase of the war,"  
  
"I've found something more important at the moment," the President replied curtly.  
  
"Yes sir," the aide said, and walked out of the office, leaving the President by himself. A moment later, he picked up the phone. "Beth," he said, "contact the networks. I have something I want to say,"  
  
"Yes Mr. President," came the voice on the other end. The President put down the phone and picked up a pen to begin working on the speech he would soon deliver.  
  
X  
  
A while later, the X-Men arrived back at the Institute, where Kitty was greeted by Hank, Storm, and the younger mutants who had stayed at home and watched the speech on TV. Kitty accepted their congratulations and then began to make her way towards the staircase so she could go to bed when something came on the TV that caught her attention.  
  
"Hey, check it out. The President's going to be on!" she said, and all of the X-Men quickly gathered around the TV to hear his speech.  
  
X  
  
At the White House, the President skimmed over his speech one last time before the cameras turned on. An aide walked up to him. "Sir, are you sure you want to be making this speech? It could really hurt your approval ratings,"  
  
"I'm aware of that," said the President. "But I've heard something tonight that's made me wonder just how much I deserve those ratings in the first place,"  
  
"Whatever you say, sir," said the aide, and stepped back so the President would be alone on camera.  
  
"My fellow Americans," he began. "As you know, our war has nearly reached a successful conclusion. The enemy dictator has been removed from power and we can begin to build a new society for his people. Now that we have liberated this society, we must reflect on the actions we have taken. I know many people, myself included, have been content to derive a moral justification for this war from victory. We thought that our success on the battlefield would prove the validity of our policies. But after seeing the debate in Bayville tonight, I've realized that victory in itself will not be enough to prove that we were right. Ultimately, history will judge our success or our failure. We may have too quick to assume that it would judge in our favor. We still must earn this victory, and we will only do that by helping these people build a stable society for themselves.  
  
Now the question remains, where do we go from here? Our policies so far have dictated pre-emptive campaigns against people, groups, or nations that we believe to be threats to us. We need to reexamine these policies, and determine exactly how and why we are being threatened before we act so quickly in the future. Also, America needs to restore its image in the eyes of the world. We have been so eager to remove this dictator from power and liberate this society that we turned a deaf ear to most of the world. As a result, countries that were once our good friends have lost some of the trust and understanding they had for us. As our nation's President and primary spokesman, I must accept the blame. We thought we could win this war by ourselves. So far we have been right. But next time we may not be so lucky. We must be sure in the future that we have the strong support of all of our friends and allies before we embark on future campaigns so that we can present a united front against those who would stand against peace and free society.  
  
Finally, we as Americans must do our part to show the people of the world that our society truly is the land of the free. This war has focused too much on differences and has made people become less willing to accept, and less willing to forgive. It has demanded unity when it instead should have encouraged dissent. Peaceful protests and demonstrations can be a powerful tool for change. We as a society must not be so quick to judge people who would say 'no' to be unpatriotic. It is more unpatriotic for people and organizations to try to silence the voice of protest. Throughout history, the greatest changes have come when brave individuals have had the courage to stand up and say 'no'.  
  
And to those of you who may doubt how effective and how powerful one voice can be, I would ask you to consider the words of Kitty Pryde earlier tonight. She is the reason I am speaking to you now. She gave me another way of thinking, and her words helped me to realize a better way of looking at the world. Thank you, Kitty. Hopefully, in time, more people will realize what you have said tonight and will follow your example to make our society and the world a better place.  
  
Thank you for your time, and God bless the United States of America,"  
  
X 


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